Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish Football League in 1890. With the official sanctioning of professionalism, the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

of Celtic and Rangers became dominant in Scotland, and remain so, although other clubs have enjoyed brief periods of success too. The first officially recognized international football match took place between

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1872. Over time, Scotland began to play regularly against the other

home nations Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on context. Politically it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In sport, if a sport is g ...

too, and then on a yearly basis with the establishment of the British Home Championship in 1883. Scotland didn't compete against a nation from outside the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

until 1929 when they played

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

, following which they began to contest regular friendly matches against other European sides. Scotland first competed in a major tournament when they qualified for the

1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzer ...

. They have qualified for a further seven

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

s since, although have exited at the group stage each time. Scotland have also qualified three times for the

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

s, in 1992, 1996 and the COVID-19 delayed 2020 tournament; failing to progress past the group stage each time. The Scottish Football Association (SFA) were prominent in the administration of football since the early days of the game, and in 1882 agreed with the other home-nation associations on a uniform set of rules. They continue to play a role in this, with the SFA currently forming part of the

International Football Association Board The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...

along with each of the other home-nation associations and four representatives from FIFA.

History

The game started to become popular in Scotland following the development in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1863 of the first ever rules of

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, established by

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

. Scottish football clubs started to be formed towards the end of the 1860s and 1870s, notably Queen's Park who were early pioneers of the game throughout the UK. The first officially recognised international football match took place in 1872 between

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

at the

West of Scotland Cricket Club The West of Scotland Cricket Club is a cricket club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club's home ground is Hamilton Crescent, located in the Partick area of Glasgow's West End. West of Scotland, traditionally, are one of the working class cricke ...

's ground in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. The Scottish Football Association was formed in 1873, and the first official competition in Scotland commenced that same year, the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish Football League in 1890, and the official sanctioning of professionalism in 1893. Queens Park's insistence on remaining amateur saw their early prominence in Scottish football fade, and the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

of Celtic and Rangers became the dominant clubs. Celtic won six successive league titles during the first decade of the 20th century, during which time they also became the first club to win the league and Scottish Cup in the same season (the "

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

"). They also won four successive titles the following decade. In the inter-war years, Rangers won 14 of the 20 league titles competed for, and a few years after the end of the Second World War were the first club to win all three major domestic competitions in the same season in Scotland (the " treble"). Both Old Firm clubs have since won nine successive league titles; Celtic from 1966 to 1974 and then again from 2012 to 2020, and Rangers from 1989 to 1997. Rangers have won the league championship a total of 55 times, a joint world record. Other clubs have enjoyed brief periods of success: Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian during the late 1940s and 1950s and

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, and to a lesser extent

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

, in the early 1980s. Following the first international in 1872 between Scotland and England, over the next 50 years the national side played exclusively against the other three Home Nations – England,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The British Home Championship was established in 1883, making these games competitive. Scotland won the first ever championship, and won outright on ten occasions up to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and shared the title on a further 6 times with at least one other team. Scotland played their first match outside the British Isles in 1929, beating

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

7–3 in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

. Scotland then contested regular friendly matches against European opposition and enjoyed wins against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

before losing to the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n "

Wunderteam ''Wunderteam'' (; ''Wonder Team'') was the name given to the Austria national football team of the 1930s. Led by manager Hugo Meisl, the team had an unbeaten streak of 14 games between April 1931 and December 1932. The style of the team focused on q ...

" and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1931. Scotland took part in their first major international tournament when they qualified for the

1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzer ...

in Switzerland, and then again in 1958 for the World Cup in Sweden, failing to progress from the first round in both tournaments. After a barren spell in the 1960s, Scotland qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, where the team was unbeaten but failed to progress due to inferior goal difference. The national side also qualified for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, amidst unprecedented publicity and optimism. They failed to win either of their first two games, and a win over the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

wasn't enough to prevent another first round exit. The national side qualified for the next three World Cups in 1982, 1986 and 1990, but also exited at the first round in each. Scotland qualified for the finals of

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

for the first time in 1992, and repeated the feat for the 1996 Euros in England. A further major tournament was reached when they took part in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, but then went over 20 years without qualifying for a major tournament. Scotland finally ended this barren run when they qualified for the COVID-19 delayed Euro 2020 tournament. The Scottish Football Association (SFA) were prominent in the administration of football since the early days of the game. In 1882 they met up with other home-nation associations and agreed on a uniform set of rules for football. The home-nation associations went on to form the

International Football Association Board The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...

(IFAB) to approve any changes to the rules. It was a proposal by the SFA that led to the offside rule being changed in 1925, where a player would now be onside if a minimum of two (instead of three) opposing players are between him and the goal line. IFAB continues to meet twice a year, once to decide on possible changes to the rules governing football and once to deliberate on its internal affairs. The organisation is now made up of representatives from the SFA, the other three home-nation associations, and the

Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was founded ...

(FIFA). Each home-nation association has one vote and FIFA has four. IFAB deliberations must be approved by three-quarters of the vote, which translates to at least six votes. Thus, FIFA's approval is necessary for any IFAB decision, but FIFA alone cannot change the Laws of the Game – they need to be agreed by at least two of the home-nation members. As of 2016, all members must be present for a binding vote to proceed.

Pre-1860

1824

* The first documented club in the world dedicated to football, Foot-Ball Club, is formed in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

.

1860s

1867

*Scotland's oldest club in continuous existence and longest established club Queen's Park is formed. *Queen's Park compile " The Rules of the Field", a set of rules based on the common Association rules of the time, but with notable changes to the offside rule.

1868

*Queen's Park play their first match against another club, the newly formed Glasgow-based team

Thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves ...

.

1870s

1870

*The first representative match is played between England and Scotland, although this is not considered to be an official international match. *In the absence of an organising body for football in Scotland, Queen's Park join the English Football Association.

1872

*Queen's Park become the first ever Scottish football team to participate in official competition when they play in the

1871–72 FA Cup The 1871–72 Football Association Challenge Cup was the first staging of the Football Association Challenge Cup, usually known in the modern era as the FA Cup, the oldest association football competition in the world. Fifteen of the association ...

semi-final against Wanderers, the match ends goalless. Queen's, however, can not afford to extend their stay long enough for the tie to be replayed and are forced to withdraw. * Rangers are formed in March. In May, Rangers play their first ever match, a friendly against Callander, drawing 0-0, played at Fleshers' Haugh (now known as

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History I ...

). *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

draw 0–0, played at the

West of Scotland Cricket Club The West of Scotland Cricket Club is a cricket club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club's home ground is Hamilton Crescent, located in the Partick area of Glasgow's West End. West of Scotland, traditionally, are one of the working class cricke ...

. This is recognised by FIFA as the first official international match.

1873

*The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is formed. *The first

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,

1874

*Queen's Park defeat

Clydesdale Clydesdale is an archaic name for Lanarkshire, a traditional county in Scotland. The name may also refer to: Sports * Clydesdale F.C., a former football club in Glasgow * Clydesdale RFC, Glasgow, a former rugby union club * Clydesdale RFC, South ...

2–0 to win the inaugural Scottish Cup.

1876

*Scotland defeat

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

4–0 in the

first international The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...

between the two countries.

1877

*

Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ' ...

win the Scottish Cup for the first time after beating Rangers 3–2 in a second replay – thereby becoming the first team other than Queen's Park to win the trophy.

1880s

1881

* Dr. John Smith becomes the first player to score a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

in a Scottish Cup Final, netting all three of Queen's Park's goals in a 3–1 win over

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

. The final is a replay after the first match was won 2–1 by Queen's Park but declared void due to a protest from Dumbarton. * Andrew Watson wins his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, becoming what is widely considered to be the world's first black person to play football at international level. *The first known women's match to be played under football association rules takes place at

Easter Road Easter Road is a association football, football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (Hibs). The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity ...

. A team representing Scotland beat England 3–0, with Lily St Clare becoming the first ever recorded female goalscorer.

1882

*The Scottish Football Association,

the Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

(England), the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...

and the

Irish Football Association The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team. ...

meet on 6 December and agree on one uniform set of rules for football. They also establish the

International Football Association Board The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...

(IFAB) to approve changes to the rules (a task that they still perform to this day).

1883

*

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating

Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ' ...

2–1 in the 1883 Scottish Cup Final.

1884

*The British Home Championship (also known as the Home International Championship) becomes an annual competition contested between the UK's four national teams,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Scotland go on to win the first championship after winning all three of their matches. *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

defeat

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

5–0 in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

in the first international between the two countries. *Queen's Park reach the

1884 FA Cup Final The 1884 FA Cup Final was a football match between Blackburn Rovers and Queen's Park contested on 29 March 1884 at the Kennington Oval. It was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challeng ...

, but lose 2–1 against

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

.

1885

* Renton win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Vale of Leven 3–1 in the 1885 Scottish Cup Final. * Arbroath defeat Bon Accord 36–0 in the first round of the Scottish Cup, a record scoreline in a major competition in British football. Jock Petrie scores 13 goals in the game, the highest number of goals by a player in a single game in competitive British football.

1886

*The

Scottish Junior Football Association The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the level of football ...

is formed. The term "junior" refers to the level of football played, not the age of the players. *The first

Scottish Junior Cup The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compet ...

competition begins.

1887

* Hibernian win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Dumbarton 2–1 in the 1887 Scottish Cup Final. *The SFA instructs all its member clubs to withdraw from the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

and to cease any further participation in that competition. *Fairfield Govan defeat Edinburgh Woodburn 3–1 in the first Scottish Junior Cup final.

1888

*Renton defeat

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

4–1 in a challenge match between the holders of the FA Cup and Scottish Cup. The winners are declared " Champions of the United Kingdom and the World". * Celtic play their first ever match, a friendly against Rangers, winning 5–2.

1889

*

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...

win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Celtic 2–1 in the 1889 Scottish Cup Final.

1890s

1890

*The Scottish Football League is formed.

1891

*

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

and Rangers share the inaugural Scottish league championship after both finish with 29 points and a

play-off match The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

is drawn. * Heart of Midlothian win the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

1–0 in the final.

1892

* Celtic win the Scottish Cup for the first time after beating Queen's Park 5–1 in a replayed final.

1893

*Celtic win the league title for the first time. * Professionalism is formally approved by the SFA. *The Highland Football League is founded.

1894

*Rangers win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Celtic 3–1 in the first cup final between the two teams who would become known as the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

. *Celtic build the first ever

press box The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box and can be either enclosed or open to the e ...

at a football stadium in Britain, located high up on the main stand at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...

.

1895

* Heart of Midlothian win the league title for the first time. * St Bernard's win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Renton 2–1 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

.

1896

*The Scotland national team decides to select England-based players for the first time to improve their chances of winning the 1895–96 British Home Championship fixture against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, holding a selection trial between their 'Home' and 'Anglo' players Scotland win the match and the championship, and the trial becomes an annual event for the next 30 years. *Hearts defeat Hibernian in the first Edinburgh derby Scottish Cup

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

, and the only one to be held outside Glasgow.

1899

*Rangers win the league title after winning all 18 of their league matches for a

perfect season A perfect season is a sports season, including any requisite playoff portion, in which a team remains and finishes undefeated and untied. The feat is extremely rare at the professional level of any team sport, and has occurred more commonly at the ...

.

1900s

1902

* 25 people are killed and 517 are injured after a stand collapses at

Ibrox Park Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of . ...

during a British Home Championship match between

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

.

1903

* Hibernian win the league title for the first time.

1904

*

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...

win the league title for the first time. * Jimmy Quinn scores a hat-trick as Celtic win the

1904 Scottish Cup Final The 1903–04 Scottish Cup was the 31st season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The cup was won by Celtic when they beat holders Rangers 3–2 in the final at the newly built Hampden Park to claim the trophy for a ...

3–2 against Rangers.

1905

*Celtic and Rangers finish the league level on 41 points, and a

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

at Hampden Park is arranged to decide the championship. Celtic win 2–1, clinching the first of what transpired to be six successive league titles.

1907

*Celtic win both the league title and the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,the double in Scotland.

1909

*The Scottish Cup is withheld by the SFA after a riot in the final replay between Celtic and Rangers. *The

Scottish Amateur Football Association The Scottish Amateur Football Association (SAFA) is the organising body for amateur football across Scotland. An affiliate of the Scottish Football Association, the SAFA has in turn 50 regional associations affiliated to it and some 67 diff ...

(SAFA), the organising body for

amateur football Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. The distinction is made between amateur sporting participants and professional sporting participants, who are paid for the time they spend competing ...

across Scotland, is formed.

1910s

1910

* Dundee win the Scottish Cup for the first time after beating

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

2–1 in the twice-replayed final. *The SFA joins the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body for association football.

1913

* Falkirk beat

Raith Rovers Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...

2–0 in the final of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,

1914

*Thirteen players from Heart of Midlothian sign-up en-masse with the

McCrae's Battalion McCrae's Battalion was the affectionate name given by the people of Edinburgh to the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots in World War I, raised from volunteers in 1914 as part of the New Armies called to the Colours by Lord Kitchener. T ...

to fight in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in addition to their three players who had earlier enlisted in the services.

1917

* Celtic complete a 62 match unbeaten run, a record in British football that stood for over 100 years.

1920s

1920

*The SFA, along with the other three home-nation associations, withdraw from FIFA, primarily due to issues over playing ex-enemy countries from the First World War.

1921

*

Goal average A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

is brought in by the Scottish League to separate teams tied on the same number of points.

1922

*

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton H ...

win the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Rangers 1–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. * Falkirk sign Syd Puddefoot from

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

for a transfer fee of £5,000 – a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

at the time.

1924

* Airdrieonians win the Scottish Cup for the first (and only) time, defeating Hibernian 2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. *The SFA and the three other home-nation associations rejoin FIFA.

1925

*Following a proposal by the SFA, the offside rule is changed: a player is now onside if a minimum of two (instead of three) opposing players are between him and the goal line.

1926

* St Mirren win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Celtic 2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

.

1928

*

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

defeat

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

5–1 at

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

, during which Alex Jackson scores the first ever hat-trick at Wembley. The Scotland team become popularly known as the

Wembley Wizards The Wembley Wizards is the nickname for the Scotland national football team that crushed England national football team, England 5–1 at Wembley Stadium (1923), Wembley in the 1928 British Home Championship. Background Scotland had failed to w ...

. *The SFA, along with the other three home-nation associations, once again withdraw from FIFA, due to the home nations reluctance to cede ultimate authority on football matters to FIFA.

1929

*Scotland play against opposition outside of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for the first time, defeating

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

7–3 in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

.

1930s

1931

* Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson dies after suffering a fractured skull after an accidental on-pitch collision with Rangers striker

Sam English Samuel English (18 August 1908 – 12 April 1967) was a Northern Irish footballer who played for several clubs during the 1930s, but is mainly remembered for his time with Rangers. English also won two international caps for Ireland. His care ...

during a match at

Ibrox Park Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of . ...

. A reported 30,000 mourners attend his funeral in Fife.

1932

* Motherwell win the league title for the first time. * Willie MacFadyen scores 52 league goals for Motherwell, a record goals total for a single season in Scottish League history.

1934

*

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

's

Pittodrie Stadium Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen F.C. since they w ...

becomes the first football ground to feature a dugout, a sunken, sheltered area for note taking.

1937

*The

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

v

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

match at Hampden Park is attended by 149,415, a European record. *The 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

is attended by 147,365, a world record for a national cup final. *

Jimmy McGrory James Edward McGrory (26 April 1904 – 20 October 1982) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic and Clydebank as a forward and then went on to manage Kilmarnock before returning to Celtic as manager after the end of the Second Wor ...

retires from playing football. He scored 550 goals in competitive matches for Celtic, Clydebank, Scotland and the

Scottish League XI The Scottish League XI was a representative side of the Scottish Football League. The team regularly played against the (English) Football League and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture be ...

. He remains the highest goalscorer in British football.

1939

*Rangers defeat Celtic 2–1 in front of a crowd of 118,567 at Ibrox, a record attendance for a league match in Britain. *Competitive football is suspended due to the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

in Europe, during the early stages of the 1939–40 season.

1940s

1944

*

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

's 3–2 defeat at Hampden Park in the wartime international against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

is watched by 133,000 fans, the largest attendance at any match in Britain during wartime.

1946

*Official competitive football resumes after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. *The SFA, along with the other three home-nation associations, rejoin FIFA, paving the way for Scotland to play in

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

matches.

1947

* Rangers win the first

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

, as they defeat

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

4–0 at Hampden Park to win the 1946–47 competition. *Hampden Park hosts a friendly match between a UK representative team and a

Rest of the World Within sports and games played at the international competitive level, the Rest of the World refers to a team of players from many countries of origin that compete against a single individual or a team from a single group, such as a club or countr ...

XI. The game is dubbed "Match of the Century", with the UK winning 6–1 in front of 135,000 spectators. The gate receipts of £35,000 are donated to FIFA to help assist with the financial losses incurred as a result of the Second World War. * East Fife are the second winners of the League Cup, after defeating Falkirk 4–1 in the replayed final of the 1947–48 competition.

1948

*The

Great Britain Olympic football team The Great Britain men's Olympic football team is the men's football team that represents the United Kingdom at the Summer Olympic Games (where it competes as Great Britain, currently branded Team GB). The team is organised by the English Footb ...

, managed by Matt Busby, finish in fourth place at the 1948 Olympics football tournament in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The squad includes five Scots, all from Queens Park (one of whom is goalkeeper

Ronnie Simpson Ronald Campbell Simpson (11 October 1930 – 19 April 2004) was a Scottish football player and coach. He is mainly remembered for his time with Celtic, where he was the goalkeeper in the ''Lisbon Lions'' team that won the European Cup in 1967. ...

, who will go on to play in Celtic's

1967 European Cup Final The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Inter Milan and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966� ...

winning team).

1949

*Rangers win the league title, League Cup and the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

in Scotland.

1950s

1950

*

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

qualify for the

1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the fourth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. The planned 1942 and 1946 World Cups were ...

by finishing second in the

1949–50 British Home Championship 1949–50 British Home Championship was one of the most significant competitions of the British Home Championship football tournament. This year saw the competition doubling up as Group 1 in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was ...

(which had doubled up as a qualifying group), but the SFA reject the offer of a place in the World Cup finals because they had not won the tournament. * Motherwell win the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

for the first time after a 3–0 win over Hibernian in the final.

1951

* Dundee win the League Cup for the first time after defeating Rangers 3–2 in the final. * Petershill beat Irvine Meadow in the

Scottish Junior Cup The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compet ...

final. The attendance of 77,650 is a record for the competition. *

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n born

Gil Heron Gilbert Saint Elmo Heron (9 April 1922 – 27 November 2008) was a Jamaican professional footballer. He was the first black player to play for Scottish club Celtic and was the father of poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron. Career Born Gilbert Her ...

signs for Celtic, and becomes the first black footballer to play professionally in Scotland. *The first match played under modern floodlights in Scotland takes place, a friendly at

Ochilview Park Ochilview Park is a football stadium in Stenhousemuir in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish League Two club Stenhousemuir, and is also currently shared by Scottish Championship club Queen's Park and Eas ...

between Stenhousemuir and Hibernian.

1953

* Celtic win the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

, defeating Hibernian 2–0 in the final.

1954

*After qualifying for the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

are knocked-out after a 1–0 defeat by

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and a 7–0 defeat by

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

.

Andy Beattie Andrew Beattie (11 August 1913 – 20 September 1983) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He was the first manager of the Scottish national team. Playing career Beattie was born in Kintore, Aberdeenshire and was emplo ...

, appointed manager for the World Cup campaign, is Scotland's first manager but resigns after the loss to Austria. *

Bill Struth William Struth (16 June 1875 – 21 September 1956) was a Scottish football manager. He was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, leading the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as being the holder of a number of other posi ...

stands down as manager of Rangers after 34 years in the role, having won 18 league titles. He is succeeded by

Scot Symon James Scotland Symon (9 May 1911 – 30 April 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He also played cricket for Scotland in an age when it was possible to play and excel in several sports. Footballer Symon started his professional c ...

. * Heart of Midlothian win the League Cup for the first time, as they defeat Motherwell 4–2 in the final. *The SFA joins the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the administrative body for association football in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

.

1955

*The

1955 Scottish Cup Final The 1954–55 Scottish Cup was the 70th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Clyde who defeated Celtic in the replayed final. It was Clyde's second cup success, whilst Celtic lost in the fin ...

between Celtic and

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

is the first final in Scotland to be televised live, and ends in a 1–1 draw. Clyde win the replay 1–0. *

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

win the league title for the first time. * Hibernian become the first British club to participate in

European competition The European Competition is a student competition in which students of all ages submit creative, artistic, or written pieces of work on the activities of the European Union. Tendered by European Movement Germany, it is the oldest student competition ...

. They go on to reach the semi-final of the inaugural European Cup, where they were knocked out by

Stade Reims Stade de Reims () is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2018. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Aug ...

. *Aberdeen win the League Cup for the first time, defeating St Mirren 2–1 in the final.

1956

*The first

Scottish league The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...

match played under floodlights takes place, between Rangers and Queen of the South at Ibrox. * Celtic win the League Cup for the first time, after a 3–0 win over Partick Thistle in the replayed final.

1957

*Scotland qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, after finishing top of their qualifying group. *Celtic defeat Rangers 7–1 in the League Cup final, a record scoreline in a major cup final in British football.

1958

* Heart of Midlothian score a record 132 goals, while conceding only 29, in winning the Scottish league championship. * Jimmy Murray scores Scotland's first ever goal in a World Cup finals match. *Scotland are eliminated from the 1958 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, having taken one point from three games.

1960s

1960

* Rangers reach the semi-final of the European Cup, where they are knocked out by

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

. * Hampden Park hosts the

1960 European Cup Final The 1960 European Cup Final was the fifth final in the history of the European Cup, and was contested by Real Madrid of Spain and Eintracht Frankfurt of West Germany. Real won 7–3 in front of a crowd of over 127,000 people at Glasgow's Hampden ...

between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt. Real win 7–3 in one of the best known European finals, and regarded by many observers as one of the greatest matches of all time. The crowd of 134,000 is a record for a European final.

1961

*Rangers lose 4–1 on aggregate to ACF Fiorentina in the final of the inaugural European Cup Winners' Cup. *

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

under manager

Jock Stein John "Jock" Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish ...

reach the final of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Celtic 2–0 in a replay after a 0–0 draw.

1962

* Dundee win the league title for the first time. *A Scottish Cup First Round tie between Airdrieonians and Stranraer is postponed a record 33 times (due to poor weather); Airdrieonians win the tie 4–0 before losing 6–0 to eventual champions, Rangers.

1963

*Dundee reach the semi-final of the European Cup, losing on aggregate to

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seaso ...

.

1964

*Celtic reach the semi-finals of the

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

, where they lose 4–3 on aggregate to

MTK Budapest Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre is a multi-sports club from Budapest, founded in 1888. It has sections for football, handball, basketball, volleyball, futsal, ice hockey, water polo, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, fencing, canoeing, boxing, wrestlin ...

. *Rangers win the

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

.

1965

* Kilmarnock win the league title for the first time, defeating Heart of Midlothian 2–0 on the final day of the season to win the league on goal average ahead of Heart of Midlothian.

1966

*The Scottish Football League authorise the use of substitutes in competitive games.

Archie Gemmill Archibald Gemmill (born 24 March 1947) is a Scottish former footballer. During his career, he won the European Cup and three English league titles, and captained his national side. Gemmill scored the third Scotland goal in a 3–2 win again ...

of St Mirren becomes the first substitute in Scotland, coming for the injured

Jim Clunie Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...

in a League Cup tie against

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

.

1967

* Berwick Rangers defeat Rangers 1–0 in the first round of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,John Greig John Greig (born 11 September 1942) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a defender. He spent his entire career with Rangers, as a player, manager and director. Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the ...

as "probably the worst result in the history of our club". *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

defeat 1966 FIFA World Cup winners

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

3–2 at

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

. *Celtic win the European Cup, defeating

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

2–1 in the

1967 European Cup Final The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Inter Milan and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966� ...

. Celtic also win the

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

for their first time. *Rangers reach the

1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final The 1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match contested between Bayern Munich of West Germany and Rangers of Scotland. The match took place at the Städtisches Stadion in Nuremberg, West Germany on 31 May 1967 in front of a crowd ...

, but lose 1–0 after extra time against Bayern Munich. *

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...

go out of business after becoming bankrupt.

1968

*Rangers sign

Colin Stein Colin Anderson Stein (born 10 May 1947) is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Hibernian, Rangers (two spells), Coventry City and Kilmarnock. Stein was part of the Rangers team that won the 1971–72 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and he ...

from Hibernian for a then Scottish record transfer fee of £100,000.

1969

*Celtic win the domestic treble.

1970s

1970

* Celtic reach the final of the European Cup, knocking out Benfica and

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

en route, but lose 2–1 to

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. *The introduction of penalty shootouts was sanctioned at the Caledonian Hotel in Inverness. Airdrieonians vs

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

in the

Texaco Cup The Texaco Cup, officially known as the International League Board Competition, was an association football competition started in 1970, involving sides from England, Scotland, and Ireland that had not qualified for European competitions. It wa ...

was the first game in Scotland to be decided by penalties, with Airdrieonians progressing to the quarter finals.

1971

* 66 people die and over 200 are injured after a crush during a match between Rangers and Celtic at

Ibrox Park Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of . ...

, after a stairway gave way. * Partick Thistle win the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

for the first time, defeating Celtic 4–1 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. * Goal difference replaces goal average as the means of separating teams tied on the same number of points in the Scottish League.

1972

*

Dixie Deans John Kelly "Dixie" Deans (born 30 July 1946) is a Scottish retired footballer. He played as a centre forward in the 1960s and 1970s, primarily for Motherwell and Celtic, and was a prolific goal-scorer. Deans played in two international mat ...

scores a hat-trick in Celtic's 6–1 win over Hibernian in the 1972 Scottish Cup Final, the first hat-trick in a Scottish Cup Final since 1904. * Rangers beat

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...

3–2 to win the

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

. Rangers are beaten 6–3 on aggregate by European Cup winners

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

in the

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

. *Hibernian win the League Cup for the first time, defeating Celtic 2–1 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. *The Scottish Women’s Football Association is formed, and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

play their first ever official women's international, losing 3–2 to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in Greenock.

1973

* Rose Reilly signs for Stade de Reims, becoming the first Scots woman to play football professionally. *The crowd of 122,714 that watches Rangers win over Celtic in the

1973 Scottish Cup Final The 1972–73 Scottish Cup was the 88th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Rangers who defeated Celtic in the final. First round Replays Second round Replays Third round Replays ...

is the last attendance in excess of 100,000 at any match in Britain. *A 2–1 win over

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

at Hampden Park guarantees

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

a place at the

1974 World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

after finishing 1st in their qualifying group.

1974

*Celtic win their ninth consecutive league championship, equalling the world record jointly held at the time by

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...

and

MTK Budapest Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre is a multi-sports club from Budapest, founded in 1888. It has sections for football, handball, basketball, volleyball, futsal, ice hockey, water polo, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, fencing, canoeing, boxing, wrestlin ...

. *Scotland are eliminated from the

1974 World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

at the group stages on goal difference, despite not having lost a match. *Dixie Deans and Joe Harper both score hat-tricks in the 1974 Scottish League Cup Final. Deans became the first (and so far, only) player to score hat-tricks in Scottish Cup and League Cup finals.

1975

*The Scottish Football League is reconstructed, producing a Premier Division of 10 clubs.

1976

*Rangers win the

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

.

1977

*Scotland clinch qualification for the following year's

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

with a controversial 2–0 win over

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

at

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...

. *Hibernian become the first professional club in Britain to bear

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

on their shirts. * Clydebank bolt wooden bench seating to their ground's terraces (reducing its capacity under 10,000 to avoid having to comply with expensive safety legislation), and thus Kilbowie Park accommodating 9,950 becomes the first

all-seater stadium An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football a ...

in Britain.

1978

*Rangers win the domestic treble. *Scotland are knocked out of the 1978 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, having taken three points (one win, one draw) from three matches. *

Jock Stein John "Jock" Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish ...

leaves Celtic, having won 25 trophies including the European Cup in 1967, for a brief spell as manager of

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

, before returning north to take over from

Ally MacLeod Alistair Reid "Ally" MacLeod (26 February 1931 – 1 February 2004) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He is perhaps best known for his time as the Scotland national football team manager, including their appearance at t ...

as manager of Scotland. * Alex Ferguson becomes manager of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, who he goes on to lead to what several sources describe as "unprecedented success", taking over from

Billy McNeill William McNeill (2 March 1940 – 22 April 2019) was a Scottish football player and manager. He had a long association with Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, manager and club ambassador. McNeill captained Celtic's 'Lisbon Lio ...

who moved to Celtic as their manager.

1979

*

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

win the League Cup for the first time, defeating Aberdeen 3–0 in the replayed final.

1980s

1980

*

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

win the league title, the first side outwith the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

to do so since Kilmarnock in 1965. * Celtic beat Rangers in the

Scottish Cup Final The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the w ...

. Thousands of fans from both sides take to the field afterwards and engage in a pitched battle with one another. The aftermath sees both clubs fined £20,000 and various legislation implemented, including the prohibition of the sale of alcohol at football matches in Scotland. * Hibernian are the first Scottish club to install undersoil heating, at a cost of £60,000, and which is used later in the season to enable their home game against Falkirk to be played despite the wintry weather conditions. * Ian Wallace becomes the first Scottish footballer to be transferred for over a million pounds, joining

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

from

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

for £1.25 million.

1982

*The Scotland under-18 side win the

1982 UEFA European Under-18 Championship The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1982 Final Tournament was held in Finland. It also served as the European qualification for the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition was won by Scotland, their first tournament win at any inter ...

, defeating

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

3–1 in the final. It remains Scotland's only major tournament win at any level. *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

are knocked out of the 1982 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, having taken three points (one win, one draw) from three matches.

1983

*Aberdeen beat Real Madrid 2–1 after extra time to win the

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

. Aberdeen also win the

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

after a 2–0 aggregate win over

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

. *

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

win the league title for the first time.

1984

*Rangers defeat Celtic 3–2 in the 1983–84 League Cup Final, with

Ally McCoist Alistair Murdoch McCoist, (; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and TV pundit. McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club St Johnstone before moving to English side Sunderland in ...

scoring a hat-trick. *Dundee United reach the semi-final of the European Cup, losing on aggregate to

AS Roma ' (''Rome Sport Association''), commonly referred to as Roma (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its ...

.

1985

*Scotland qualify for the

1986 World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...

, but manager

Jock Stein John "Jock" Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Stein also guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish ...

suffers a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

and dies during a qualifying match with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

.

1986

* Kenny Dalglish wins his 100th

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, in a friendly match against

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. He eventually goes on to win 102 caps, a record. *

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...

is appointed

player/manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

of Rangers. This marks the start of a significant change at Rangers, as they spend significant amounts of money in attracting star players to the club from England. *Celtic win the league championship on goal difference, ahead of Heart of Midlothian. Two late goals scored by Dundee forward

Albert Kidd Albert Kidd (born 19 October 1961) is a Scottish former football player who now lives in Australia. He is best known in Scottish football for scoring two goals for Dundee against Hearts on the final day of the 1985–86 season to deny Hearts ...

cost Heart of Midlothian the championship. *Scotland are knocked out of the 1986 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, having taken one point from three matches. * Alex Ferguson leaves Aberdeen, having won ten trophies in eight years including the

European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...

in 1983, to become manager of Manchester United.

1987

*Dundee United reach the

1987 UEFA Cup Final The 1987 UEFA Cup Final was a football tie played on 6 and 20 May 1987 between IFK Göteborg of Sweden and Dundee United of Scotland. Göteborg won 2–1 on aggregate, their second UEFA Cup triumph, following victory in 1982. It was Dundee Uni ...

, but lose 2–1 on aggregate to

IFK Göteborg Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or simply Göteborg, is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it is the ...

. *Rangers win their first league title in nine years. *

Richard Gough Charles Richard Gough (born 5 April 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Gough played in the successful Dundee United team of the early 1980s, winning the Scottish league title in 1982–83 and reachi ...

becomes the first million pound transfer in Scottish football, joining Rangers from

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

for around £1.5 million. *Rangers defeat Aberdeen on penalty kicks in the 1987–88 League Cup Final, after the sides tied at 3–3 after extra time.

1988

*Celtic win the league and cup

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

in their centenary season.

1989

*

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

host the FIFA Under 16 World Championship, reaching the final where they lose on penalty kicks against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

after the match finished 2–2 at the end of extra time. *Former Celtic player

Mo Johnston Maurice John Giblin Johnston (born 13 April 1963) is a Scottish football player and coach. Johnston, who played as a forward, started his senior football career with Partick Thistle in 1981. He moved to Watford in 1983, where he scored 23 leag ...

signs for Rangers, ending the club's long-term policy of not signing

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

s. * St Johnstone open

McDiarmid Park McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of . As well as St J ...

, the first purpose-built all-seater football stadium in the United Kingdom.

1990s

1990

*

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

are knocked out of the 1990 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, having taken two points (one win) from three matches.

1991

*

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...

leaves Rangers to become manager of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. His assistant,

Walter Smith Walter Ferguson Smith (24 February 1948 – 26 October 2021) was a Scottish association football player, manager and director, primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Glasgow club Rangers. A defender, Smith's playing car ...

, takes over at Ibrox, and six years later would lead the club to their ninth successive league title. *Rangers win the league championship thanks to a decisive win against

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

on the final day of the season.

1992

*Having qualified for the first time, Scotland take part in the finals of the

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...

. They are knocked out at the group stage of

UEFA Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...

, having taken two points (one win) from three matches. *Rangers become the first British club to compete in the group stages of the revamped

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

, where they went undefeated but eventually finished second in their group behind eventual (controversial) winners

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. *Top clubs attempt a 'Super League' breakaway following a similar event in England; the move fails but prompts some reconstruction of the League setup which takes effect two years later.

1993

*Rangers win the

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

.

1994

*

Fergus McCann Fergus John McCann (born 26 February 1941) is a Scottish–Canadian businessman and entrepreneur. Biography McCann's wealth stemmed initially from a golf vacation company, based in Montreal and Phoenix. He is best known for his involvement in ...

takes over as owner of Celtic, rescuing the club from financial ruin. He goes on to reconstitute the club as a PLC, which in turn leads to the most successful share-issue in the history of British football. *

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

win the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. *

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

and Ross County are admitted to the Scottish Football League. *

Raith Rovers Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...

win the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

for the first time, defeating Celtic 6–5 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

.

1995

*

Meadowbank Thistle Livingston Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. Livingston currently play in the Scottish Premiership and were founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team. The club was admitted to the ...

relocate to

Livingston, West Lothian Livingston ( sco, Leivinstoun, gd, Baile Dhunlèibhe) is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from a village of the same name incorporated ...

and are renamed Livingston.

1996

*Scotland are knocked out of

UEFA Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...

at the group stage on goal difference, having taken four points from three games.

1997

*Rangers win their ninth league championship in a row, equalling the record set by Celtic. *

Paul Lambert Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town. Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...

becomes the first Scottish (and British) player to win the European Cup/ Champions League with a non-UK club, playing for

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...

1998

*Celtic stop Rangers from winning a record 10 league titles in a row by winning the Scottish league championship. *Scotland are knocked out of the 1998 FIFA World Cup at the group stage, with 1 point from 3 matches played. *The Scottish Premier League is formed, as the Premier Division clubs break away from the Scottish Football League.

1999

*Rangers win the domestic treble. *Scotland fail to qualify for

UEFA Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament wa ...

, losing a two match play-off 2–1 on aggregate to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

.

2000s

2000

*

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

defeat Celtic 3–1 in the third round of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious" by '' The Sun''. *

Elgin City Elgin City Football Club (also known as City or The Black and Whites) is a professional senior football club based in Elgin, Moray. Elgin was founded in 1893 and originally played their football in the Highland Football League. The club was g ...

and

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

are admitted to the Scottish Football League. *

Tore André Flo Tore André Flo (born 15 June 1973) is a Norwegian former professional football striker and coach who is the manager of 1. divisjon club Sogndal. He was capped 76 times, scoring 23 goals for Norway, and represented his country in 1998 FIFA Wor ...

joins Rangers from

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

for a transfer fee of £12 million, a Scottish record.

2001

*Celtic win the

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

, their first since 1969. * Henrik Larsson scores 35 league goals for Celtic, winning him the

European Golden Shoe The European Golden Shoe, also known as European Golden Boot, is an award that is presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of a European national league. The trophy is a sculpture of a football boo ...

. *

Ally McCoist Alistair Murdoch McCoist, (; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and TV pundit. McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club St Johnstone before moving to English side Sunderland in ...

retires from playing football. He is the highest post-war goalscorer in the Scottish league, with 282 goals.

2002

* Berti Vogts is appointed the Scotland national team manager, the first non-Scot to hold the post. * Airdrieonians are liquidated. Gretna are admitted to the Scottish Football League in their place. *A consortium buys out the few remaining assets of Clydebank, in order to bring Airdrie United into the league.

2003

*Celtic reach the

2003 UEFA Cup Final The 2003 UEFA Cup Final was played on 21 May 2003 between Celtic of Scotland and Porto of Portugal. Porto won the match 3–2 in extra time thanks to a goal from Derlei. This was also the first game to use the silver goal rule, although it did ...

, but lose 3–2 to F.C. Porto after extra time. *Rangers win the domestic treble.

2004

* Livingston win the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

for the first time, defeating Hibernian 2–0 in the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final.

2005

*Rangers win the league championship on the last day of the season, as Celtic concede two late goals against Motherwell. *Rangers become the first Scottish club to progress from the group stages of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

to the knockout phase of the tournament.

2006

*

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

reach the final of the

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and England ...

, but lose 2–1 to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. * Gretna become the first team from the third tier to reach the

Scottish Cup Final The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the w ...

, and draw 1–1 with Hearts after extra time, before losing on penalty kicks.

2007

* Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, 35, collapses on the pitch during a Scottish league match against

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

, and dies shortly afterwards. *Celtic sign Scott Brown from Hibernian for £4.4 million, a record transfer fee paid between two Scottish clubs. *The SFA implement changes to qualifying rules for the Scottish Cup, including the allowing of four

Scottish Junior Football Association The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the level of football ...

clubs to enter each year.

2008

*Gretna enter administration. Unable to fulfil fixtures, Gretna resign from the Scottish Football League and are subsequently liquidated. Gretna fans set up a new club, Gretna 2008, in its place. Annan Athletic are admitted to the Scottish Football League to fill the vacancy. *Rangers reach the

2008 UEFA Cup Final The 2008 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place on 14 May 2008 at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England. It was the 37th annual final of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second tier club football tournament. The match, which was ...

, but lose 2–0 to

Zenit St. Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...

.

2009

*Livingston are demoted two divisions for breaching Scottish Football League rules.

2010s

2010

* Referees go on strike in Scotland over the course of a weekend in November 2010 following a series of controversial incidents and criticism.

2011

* Celtic manager

Neil Lennon Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player. During his playing career he represented English clubs Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Leicester City. Lennon moved to Celtic in 2000, where he ...

and two high-profile supporters of the club are sent parcel bombs. The device sent to Lennon is intercepted by the Royal Mail, whilst the two other devices are delivered but treated as suspicious packages and not opened.

2012

* Kilmarnock win the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

for the first time, defeating Celtic 1–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. *In the first Edinburgh derby Scottish Cup final since 1896, Heart of Midlothian defeat Hibernian by a 5–1 scoreline. * Rangers enter administration with debts attaining several tens of millions of pounds, including amounts due to

HM Revenue & Customs , patch = , patchcaption = , logo = HM Revenue & Customs.svg , logocaption = , badge = , badgecaption = , flag = , flagcaption = , image_size = , co ...

(HMRC). Rangers FC plc is liquidated after HMRC rejects a CVA offer from Charles Green, the preferred bidder. Green instead buys the business and assets of Rangers from the administrator and forms a new Rangers company, which is denied entry to the Scottish Premier League and is instead admitted into the

Scottish Football League Third Division The Scottish Football League Third Division was the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system between 1994 and 2013. History The Scottish football league system had operated with three divisions in the Scottish Football League (SFL) fr ...

.

2013

* St Mirren win the League Cup for the first time, defeating Hearts 3–2 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. *Heart of Midlothian enter administration, with most of its debts owed to companies connected to Lithuanian owner

Vladimir Romanov Vladimir Nikolayevich Romanov ( rus, Владимир Николаевич Романов, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr nʲɪkɐˈlaɪvʲɪtɕ rɐˈmanəf, lt, Vladimiras Romanovas; born 15 June 1947)

. *The Scottish Professional Football League is formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League. *A new

Lowland Football League The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the ...

is formed, as part of wider league reconstruction. *Celtic sell

Victor Wanyama Victor Mugubi Wanyama (; born 25 June 1991) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club CF Montréal and the Kenyan national team. Wanyama became the first ever Kenyan player to scor ...

to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

for £12.5 million, a record at the time for a fee received by a Scottish club.

2014

* St Johnstone win the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

.

2015

*

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

win the Scottish Cup for the first time, defeating Falkirk 2–1 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

.

2016

* Ross County win the League Cup for the first time, defeating Hibernian 2–1 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. * Edinburgh City become the first club to be promoted to the SPFL, under the pyramid system instituted in 2013. *Hibernian win the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1902, defeating Rangers 3–2 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. * Oliver Burke joins

RB Leipzig RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...

from

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

for a transfer fee of around £13 million, a record fee at the time for a transfer involving a Scottish player.

2017

*Celtic win the

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...

, while going unbeaten in domestic competitive matches for the whole of the 2016–17 season. *The Scotland women's national team qualify for their first major tournament, the

UEFA Women's Euro 2017 The 2017 UEFA European Women's Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Women's Euro 2017, was the 12th edition of the UEFA Women's Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by UEFA for the women's national tea ...

. Despite a win against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in their third match, the team is eliminated on head-to-head record in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

. *Celtic complete a run of 69 matches unbeaten in domestic competitions, breaking their own record of 62 games from over 100 years earlier.

2018

*

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

reach

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of the Scottish Challenge Cup, the club's first major cup final appearance since the

1896–97 Scottish Cup The 1896–97 Scottish Cup was the 24th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The cup was won by Rangers when they beat Dumbarton (by then a lower division club, and playing in their last major final to date) in th ...

, 121 years earlier. They are beaten 1–0 by Inverness Caledonian Thistle. *

Brechin City Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club ...

fail to win a game in the

2017–18 Scottish Championship The 2017–18 Scottish Championship (known as the Ladbrokes Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd season in the current format of 10 teams in the second tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 23 June 2017. Ten tea ...

, becoming the first Scottish club since

Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it was part of The Lennox, the name of which derives from the Gaelic term ''Leamhnach'', meaning ' ...

in 1891–92 to go a full season without winning a league game. Brechin also equal the Scottish record for the fewest points scored in a season (four). *Celtic win the domestic treble for a second consecutive season (the "double treble"), the first Scottish club to do so. *Celtic sell Moussa Dembélé to

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

for €22 million (about £19.7 million), at the time a record transfer fee received by a Scottish club. * Scotland women qualify for their first

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

finals, by winning UEFA Group 2 with a 2–1 win over

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

in their last group match.

2019

* Cove Rangers become the first club to gain promotion from the Highland League to the SPFL. They replaced

Berwick Rangers Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland. Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...

, meaning all 42 SPFL clubs are now based in Scotland. *Celtic win all three domestic trophies for the third consecutive season (the "treble treble"). *Scotland are knocked out of the

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup was the eighth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international Women's association football championship contested by 24 women's national teams representing member associations of FIFA. I ...

at the group stage, with one point from three matches played. *

Oli McBurnie Oliver Robert McBurnie (born 4 June 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Sheffield United and the Scotland national team. After playing youth football for Leeds United, McBurnie began his career with Bradford Ci ...

moves to

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

from Swansea City for a transfer fee of around £20 million, a record fee for a transfer involving a Scottish player. This record is broken less than a week later, when Kieran Tierney joins Arsenal from Celtic for £25 million. * Queen's Park, Scotland's oldest club, vote to go professional after 152 years as amateurs

2020s

2020

* Due to the spread of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, all football in Scotland is suspended on 13 March 2020. * A new

West of Scotland Football League The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League. Founded in 202 ...

is formed below the Lowland League as part of the senior pyramid system, which sees all 63 clubs join from the West Region of Junior football. * Scottish Premiership clubs resume training on 11 June 2020, with a view to starting the 2020–21 Premiership season on the first weekend of August 2020, albeit still behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. * Scotland qualify for

UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

, delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by winning a play-off against

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

on penalties, their first major tournament since 1998. * Celtic win all three domestic trophies for a fourth consecutive season (the "quadruple treble"), with their league title being their ninth consecutive championship.

2021

* St Johnstone win the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

for the first time, defeating Livingston 1–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

. They go on to complete a cup double by winning the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hibernian 1–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

, becoming the first team outside the Old Firm to win both domestic cup competitions since

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

in 1989–90. * Rangers prevent Celtic from winning a record 10 league titles in a row by winning the Scottish Premiership and their 55th league title. *

Brechin City Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club ...

become the first club to be relegated from the SPFL into the Highland League after defeat to

Kelty Hearts Kelty Hearts Football Club is a football club based in the village of Kelty in Fife, Scotland. Formed in 1975 and nicknamed ''the Hearts'', ''the Maroon Machine'' and ''the Jambos'', they play their home games at New Central Park. Their home ...

in the League Two play-off, their third relegation in four seasons. *Scotland are knocked out of the COVID-19 delayed UEFA Euro 2020 at the group stage, with 1 point from 3 matches played. *All leagues above amateur level are connected for the first time as part of the senior pyramid system, after the

SJFA East Region The Scottish Junior Football Association, East Region is one of two regions of the SJFA, which currently organises the Midlands League and local cup competitions. The SJFA was previously split into six regions, but in 2002 the decision was ta ...

(Midlands League), SJFA North Region, and North Caledonian League join as feeders to the Highland League,with the winners of each of these leagues able to participate in the Scottish Cup regardless of licence with Carnoustie Panmure and

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was established in 1828. The area beca ...

being the first teams to qualify from the Midlands League and North Caledonian League, respectively, under this system, with none from the SJFA North as Banks O' Dee won the league and the Scottish Cup place does not get passed down to the runner up.

2022

* Rangers reach the

2022 UEFA Europa League final The 2022 UEFA Europa League Final was the final match of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League, the 51st season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 13th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA E ...

, but they lose on penalties to

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

. *The

Video Assistant Referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee. The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video ope ...

(VAR) is introduced to the Scottish Premiership on matchday 12 in October, having previously been used in Scotland for games at UEFA Euro 2020, as well as Champions League group stage, and Europa League knockout stage matches.

2023

* West of Scotland Premier Division side,

Darvel Darvel ( sco, Dairvel, gd, Darbhail) is a small town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is at the eastern end of the Irvine Valley and is sometimes referred to as "The Lang Toon" ( en, the Long Town). The town's Latin motto, , means "Not for ou ...

beat Premiership side,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

1–0 in the biggest cup shock in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Elgin City Elgin City Football Club (also known as City or The Black and Whites) is a professional senior football club based in Elgin, Moray. Elgin was founded in 1893 and originally played their football in the Highland Football League. The club was g ...

knocked out

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

in 1966. *

Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional ...

become the first finalists to have been eliminated in the same tournament, after they lost 2–0 to Queen's Park, but were reinstated after it was found out Queen's Park fielded an ineligible player. They lost 3–1 to Celtic in the final. * Albion Rovers are relegated out of the

SPFL The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As we ...

, losing 2–1 on aggregate to The Spartans, after 120 years in the league setup. * Celtic win a World Record 8th domestic treble. *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

are confirmed as a co-host in a successful UK and Ireland bid for

UEFA Euro 2028 The 2028 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2028 or simply Euro 2028, will be the 18th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organised by UEFA for the senior men's nat ...

, with Hampden being Scotland's sole venue. *

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

qualify for

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, will be the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football cham ...

in Germany, after a 1–0 win for

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

over

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

left them 5 points clear with a game in hand.

2024

* In a match against St Mirren in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...

,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

set a new record for the longest time spent winning a game before losing, with Connor Barron's 62nd second opener being cancelled out in stoppage time with a Mark O'Hara penalty in the 90+6th minute before conceding again in the 90+7th minute to Toyosi Olusanya, where Aberdeen had been winning for 94 minutes. It is unknown what the previous record was. FIFA President,

Gianni Infantino Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss football administrator with Italian citizenship and the current president of FIFA. He was elected President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress in February 2016. H ...

, was also in attendance following the

IFAB The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...

Summit at

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

. * At a summit at

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

, the

IFAB The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...

discuss the controversial implementation of Blue Cards, where it is decided that trials of the cards will not be implemented further than grassroots level.

2025

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Scottish Football

Scottish football Association football ( sco, fitbaa, gd, ball-coise) is one of the national sports of Scotland and the most popular sport in the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Sc ...